He ran out. Abdool had crawled up to the other end of the sentry's
beat, and taken his place in a doorway. The sentry came up to
within a couple of yards of him, and then turned. Abdool sprang out
and, with a bound, leapt upon the sentry's back and, with one hand,
grasped his musket.

Taken wholly by surprise, the sentry fell forward on his face,
Abdool still clinging to him. He pressed his knife against the
soldier's neck and said that, at the slightest cry, he would drive
it home. Half stunned by the fall, the soldier lay without moving.

[Illustration: Harry ran up to the proclamation and tore it down.]

Without the loss of a moment, Harry ran up to the proclamation and
tore it down, and then darted off again. Abdool, springing to his
feet, brought the butt end of the soldier's musket down on his
head; and then, satisfied that a minute or two must elapse before
the man would be recovered sufficiently to give the alarm, he too
ran off, and joined Harry at the point where they had separated.

"That was well managed, Abdool. Now we will walk quietly until we
are outside the town as, if we met some of Scindia's men, they
would question were we hurrying."

In a few minutes they were outside the city; and then, running at a
brisk pace, they reached the Residency. They were challenged by the
sentry but, on Harry giving his name, he was of course allowed to
pass.

He went quietly into his room and lighted a candle. Putting his
knife in the flame he heated it, and then carefully cut the seal
from the paper on which it was fixed, placed it on the order that
he had written and, again heating his knife, passed it along under
the paper, until the under part of the seal was sufficiently warmed
to adhere to it. He placed the order in an inner pocket, put a
brace of pistols into his sash, and buckled on a native sword that
he had bought that morning; then he went out again, and found that
Abdool had the horses in readiness, with two native saddles, with
embroidered housings such as was used by native officers; which he
had, by Harry's orders, purchased that morning in the bazaar.

They at once mounted, and started at a gallop for Wittulwarree.

Chapter 8: Nana's Release.

At the entrance to the village Harry found the ten troopers, whom
Abdool had engaged, standing by their horses. He gave the order for
them to march and, at a brisk canter, they started for Ahmednuggur.
It was a ride of some forty miles and, when